San Fransyoko's Best Kept Secret
by AnimatorZee
Summary: Honey Lemon introduces Hiro to one of her favorite childhood hangouts. Not only does it soon become clear that there's more to this place than meets the eye, but those very oddities are attracting big trouble. Luckily, with powerful new enemies comes a few equally powerful allies to tip the scales.
1. Trouble at Litwak's

A/N: Well, this is going to be an adventure. I've never written any of these characters before, I don't have a beta, and this is basically a one-shot that spiralled out of control and grew a life of its own. Enjoy!

It wasn't exactly a secret that Honey Lemon liked video games. While it wasn't her passion or primary way of spending time, she was all to eager to join in on a round when invited. In fact, it was known in Hiro's circle of friends and acquaintances that she was surprisingly good at them. It didn't take long to come to light that, among the tight-knit group of superheroes, Hiro was perhaps the only one that _hadn't_ been dragged along on one of Honey's occasional arcade outings.

Honey was all too eager to fix this.

"I used to come here all the time!" She said, her voice bubbling over with excitement as usual. "They almost got shut down a while back when Flynn's got built downtown..."

Her voice trailed off into stories of how the arcade's been owned by the same family for decades, how there were at least a dozen urban legend surrounding the machines inside, and even a few fonder stories like when she got the top score in Hero's Duty. There were some strange things about the arcade Honey had noticed over the years that she seemed eager to share as well: the owner treated every single game like one of his own kids - sometimes regarding the characters within as though they were actual people - and he never turned off the power when he closed up shop, not even for long periods of time. The place was full of oddities, but Honey was incredibly fond of it.

As it turned out, Litwak's was a quaint little arcade. Hiro had been to Flynns, which was notably more modern and made Litwak's feel retro in comparison. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing, of course, but it felt a little strange and took some getting used to. Honey, on the other hand, was right at home. The owner of the arcade seemed to be quite familiar with Honey, Hiro swiftly discovered. Almost immediately upon entry, he greeted her by name and the two drummed up a chat like they were old friends. Honey eagerly introduced him to Hiro, whom awkwardly accepted a handshake from the friendly old man and found himself invited to try out a few of the games on the house.

Most of the games were pretty old, some dating back to the eighties, but tucked away on one end were several newer ones (Hiro noticed Honey Lemon eyeing Hero's Duty curiously before passing it by), and every machine was remarkably well cared for despite showing apparent age. The machines had been fitted with point-card slots, although several of the older ones still had the option of slipping in quarters. When Litwak presented Hiro with a small pile of coins to play whatever he liked to start him off, Hiro gladly accepted and began browsing the arcade, looking for any interesting games that caught his eye. He ended up playing several rounds of Fix-It Felix Jr before moving on to Pac-Man. Before long he found himself on the other side trying out several of the fighting games, but he didn't dare stray anywhere near Dance Dance Revolution - not that he would even get a chance to, considering the long line of quarters indicating the number of people waiting their turn to try it out.

Hiro was about to slide a quarter into one of the racing games when he noticed Honey Lemon approaching Litwak, a worried expression covering her usual bubbly smile. Litwak seemed dismissive at first, but a few more words from Honey quickly shifted his expression into something a little more tired and serious. Hiro watched as their exchanged evolved into a worried discussion, their words shielded by the noise and music coming from the other machines. Hiro leaned in, angling his ear to hope and catch a few snippets of the conversation.

"They've been at it for a week now," Litwak said. "Always the same two, trying to find a way in. All black, wearing theater masks."

"Have you told the police?" Honey asked, worry evident in her features.

Litwak gave a dejected sigh and shrugged. "They're looking into it. I managed to catch one of 'em last night. Hit the side of his mask, gave it a nice big crack. Fella wasn't too happy about it, he kept yelling about how he'd be back."

 _But they still got away,_ Hiro noted. There were criminals on the loose, and they were targeting an old arcade at the edge of town. It made more sense for thieves to target jewel exhibits or banks or weapon caches; what would they want from an arcade?

"Do you know what they want?"

"Probably just want to get into the coin machine. There's nothin' else in here. Gotta say, though, they're pretty persistent for a few petty thieves..."

Hiro didn't buy it for a second. Unless someone was _that_ strapped for cash, they wouldn't try for a week straight to break into an arcade to steal a bit of money. They would have moved on to an easier target by now.

Honey didn't speak with Litwak for much longer, and the rest of their conversation was drowned out by a few nearby patrons bursting into a playful argument about who won their last round in a fighting game. Hiro could make out Litwak placing a comforting hand on Honey's shoulder, and her smiling back before they exchanged a few more words and parted. Honey made her way toward Hiro immediately after, reaching in her purse for a quarter. "You heard the whole thing, didn't you?"

"Yeah."

"Litwak won't admit it but I think he's pretty worried," she said, glancing back at the arcade's owner. He was currently assisting the previously arguing patrons with Pac-Man; apparently the machine wasn't accepting their quarters.

"Want me to get the others?" Hiro offered, already reaching for his phone. It was a trained habit of his by now to contact the others at any sign of trouble.

Honey, however, shook her head. "This doesn't seem like a supervillain thing to me, Hiro. We might not need everyone."

She had a point, Hiro reluctantly admitted to himself. While typically he preferred to work with the entire group, there were times when they spread their efforts for smaller things. The incident with him and Baymax stopping a runaway tram car came to mind. Gogo had even single-handedly chased down a couple of bank robbers a few weeks ago ("Their getaway van was a joke."). He was about to ask what she had in mind when she walked past him towards the Sugar Rush console. "They're not going to show up here until night falls. We've got time to figure this out." And just like that, her worried expression made way for her usual optimistic, cheery smile. She slid gracefully into one of the seats and slipped in a quarter. "Wanna give this one a shot, Hiro?"

"I bet I can beat you in a race," Hiro said, feeling his usual competitive grin slide onto his face as he slid into the seat next to her.

Honey Lemon grinned playfully right back at him.

* * *

Hiro was _convinced_ that Honey Lemon had cheated. The race was practically over before he'd even rounded the first turn in the track. Honey Lemon, as it turned out, was an expert at Sugar Rush, completely dominating just about any course they entered. She picked the same character every time - a hoodie-clad girl known as Vanellope von Schweetz - and through some crazy trick always managed to be one step ahead of him. It was quite blink-and-you-miss-it; if he hadn't known any better, he'd say she was exploiting a glitch to win against him. When he voiced this, Honey laughed it off, saying she discovered the trick ages ago and would be happy to show him how later. "Later" ended up being "next visit", however, since it was getting close to closing time and Honey had a few chores to finish up at home.

After being dropped off and saying goodnight, Hiro headed inside and went up the stairs, going straight for the kitchen. Aunt Cass had sent him a text message on the way back home telling him not to stay out too late and that there were leftovers in the fridge. Sure enough, there were leftover hot wings in a small plastic container next to some rice. Hiro pulled it out and headed for the microwave, noting that Aunt Cass had once again left the TV on. He'd flip it off before he went upstairs.

Popping the container into the microwave, Hiro made his way to the couch to sit down and turn over a few thoughts in his head. he couldn't fathom what anyone would want with an old, retro arcade like Litwak's. If they were after money, they were definitely being persistent. He couldn't brush the feeling that something else was up. Did they want one of the game machines, perhaps? Nothing behind the prize counter looked tempting enough for constant attempts at thievery either, unless someone was Fred-level hardcore at collecting certain things. Then again, even Fred drew the line somewhere...

The microwave beeped and Hiro pulled out his dinner - glancing habitually over at Baymax, whom was deactivated in his suitcase near the sofa. No doubt he'd be gently scolded and told to find something else to eat, but Hiro had too much on his mind to give that much thought. He was just reaching for a glass of water when his phone vibrated in his pocket. Setting down the hot wings, he pulled out his phone, swiping the lock screen and peering at a text message from Wasabi.

 _Turn on the news!_

Hot wings lay forgotten on the counter as Hiro vaulted over the counter - and Mochi, incidentally - and grabbed the remote, flipping it from his aunt's favorite movie channel to the local news station.

"...ction known as Flynn's Arcade suffered a break-in earlier this evening. There appears to be massive property damage, and while it looks like no one was injured..."

Hiro sat up in his chair. Footage rolled by of the heavily-damaged Flynn's Arcade. There was an enormous hole in the wall, and a few of the game machines within appeared to be smashed. There were still sparks coming out of them, and there appeared to be another gaping hole further in, leading to what appeared to be a back office. There was debris everywhere and fire was still being put out in a few places. Policemen stood around warily, speaking with what appeared to be witnesses. Whoever pulled this off wasn't a run-of-the-mill crook; Hiro had made enough rounds with Baymax and the others by now to know a major threat when he saw one. His fingers twitched towards his phone; he had his friends on speed-dial in case anything was up. He hoped he wouldn't need it.

"...owner could not be reached for a comment. Authorities urge the public to contact the police if they have any information on the suspects."

Images appeared on the screen of the supposed suspects fleeing the scene on the security cameras. Two figures dressed in black, wearing theater masks. One of them had a crack spreading out from the left side of the forehead.

 _"Hit the side of his mask, gave it a nice big crack. Fella wasn't too happy about it, he kept yelling about how he'd be back."_

Hiro's fingers flew over the keypad of his phone, pulling up a familiar group text chat and tapping in letters as he slipped his backpack on and grabbed Baymax's suitcase from beside the couch. He was already flying down the stairs and racing out the side door towards the garage by the time he hit send:

 _guys get ur suits n meet me at litwaks hry_

* * *

Baymax hardly had time to finish voicing his concerns about Hiro's current emotional state by the time Hiro lost patience and hastily explained what was happening. Fortunately, the robot was compliant and patient as always, and he didn't need to delve into any detail while hastily assembling the robotic nurse's armor before tending to his own attire. After putting on his helmet, Hiro strode around back and climbed up onto Baymax's back. "The arcade's not far. We can't fly the whole way there or those guys might see us." Baymax on foot wasn't particularly stealthy either, but armored footsteps were still a lot quieter than his flight thrusters. "Scanner working?"

There was a moment as Baymax's head rose, turning carefully left and right before refocusing on Hiro. "My: enhanced scanner is functioning properly."

"Good. If you see anyone in a mask, scan them." If these two were slippery, he didn't want to lose track of them. Even so, Hiro was hoping this didn't end up getting out of hand. Being able to detect signs of life was a handy trick to have on board, and after several incidents where it inadvertently turned the odds in their favor he certainly didn't take it for granted.

Built as he was, Baymax was hardly stealthy, but by some miracle he and Hiro managed to make it to the arcade without drawing attention from anything aside from a stray cat or two in the alleys. Gogo was the first one at the arcade; she'd even showed up before Hiro and Baymax. Wasabi wasn't long after her, having brought Fred and Honey Lemon in his car (which he parked neatly away behind the nearby grocery store). There were no formalities when they all ran up to one another; by now they all knew that a rushed text from _anyone_ meant that things were serious.

"Looks like this place is still in one piece," Honey Lemon commented, looking more than a little relieved.

"If we're lucky they haven't made it yet," Hiro replied, his voice hushed. "Did you guys see the news? About those guys that broke into Flynn's?"

"No," Gogo replied, "But I passed by it on the way."

"So did we," Fred said, jabbing his thumb behind him down the street. Even from this distance, sirens could still be heard as more police cars made their way to the scene. "The place was a _wreck!_ The windows were busted, there was this _huge_ hole in the wall-"

"-and they definitely stole something from Flynn's," Gogo interrupted. "There were marks all over the floor inside when I went to take a look. _Something_ got dragged out of there."

So there _was_ something bigger than cash at stake here. Hiro almost hated to be right about this. The only question now was what they took, and what they wanted from Litwak's. "D'you think they're here yet?" Hiro asked.

"There is a van."

One could always count on Baymax to be keenly observant at just the right time. Everyone followed the robot's gaze to a black van parked near the back of the arcade. Looking back up at Baymax, Hiro realized that he hardly even needed to ask; the robot had already finished scanning the premesis. "My sensors are detecting: two individuals inside the building."

Hiro's stomach sank with a sense of dread. The criminals had beaten them here. If they wanted Litwak's standing to see another day, they needed to move, and they needed to move _fast._ Litwak's was in a much quieter part of town than Litwak's, so the risk of injuries to innocent bystanders was low, but that was where the good news stopped.

"So what's the plan?" Fred asked, his usual enthusiasm present. He seemed to be the only one not immediately apprehensive about this particular outing, aside from Gogo who was stern and hard to read as usual.

"We're going to get in there and find them before they cause any trouble," Hiro said almost immediately. "Baymax, guard the back door and make sure they don't get out that way. Fred, get the front. Gogo, you stay outside in case one of them gets past us. Chase 'em down if you have to. Wasabi, Honey, inside with me. Either catch those guys or flush them out of one of the doors so the others can. We wanna catch them, but we also don't want anything damaged." He turned to Honey Lemon. "You know this place better than any of us. Anything we should know?

Honey nodded. "It's an arcade, so there should be enough noise to cover us, but there's a lot of light so it'll be harder to hide. The only places that are dark and quiet are the prize corner and the office in the back. And whatever you do, don't let them unplug any of the game machines."

There was a collective and silent "Wait, what?" from just about everyone in the group, save Baymax who opted for a soft, mechanical blink. Hiro quirked an eyebrow. "We won't, Honey, but...why?"

"It's one of Litwak's superstitions. I'll explain later, okay?"

This hardly seemed like the time for superstitions, but Honey seemed adamant about this. He'd have to trust her for now. "Alright. Move out, everyone!"

Gogo was at her post before anyone had even taken a step. Baymax followed Hiro, Wasabi and Honey around the back to see them in while Fred remained vigilant near the front door (he made some comment about being a valiant protector which took most of Hiro's willpower not to react to). The back door, predictably, had been pried open, but when the group stepped inside the criminals were nowhere to be seen.

"They've gotta be in here somewhere," Hiro whispered. "Split up and speak up if you see anything."

"Got it," Honey replied, gingerly darting off into the darkness and weaving her way around the machines. She hadn't the speed that Gogo had, but in small spaces she was particularly agile. Wasabi headed for the front of the arcade, leaving Hiro to inspect the office and the prize corner along with the section containing the older games.

For some time, there was no sign of the criminals anywhere. Nothing seemed to be out of place, although it was downright eerie hearing arcade ambiance when there was no one else around. Hiro was just about to head for the prize corner when he stepped on something uneven. Looking down, he noticed a thick wire underfoot. It snaked among the games and out of his view. He would have mistaken it for a power cord to hook up the machines with, but usually those were covered in some way by either tape or a plastic strip of some sort. This one was left bare. "Guys," he whispered. "I think I found something."

"What is it?" He heard Wasabi asked.

"Some kind of cable," Hiro replied. "Honey, do you remember any power cords running past the walkways in here?"

"Mr. Litwak keeps them out of the way so no one will trip on them, so...no, not really. Why?"

Hiro looked down at the cord again, this time following it in the other direction. It was heading straight into Litwak's office. "It's leading into the office," he said. "I'm gonna follow it and see if it's them. Be ready in case anything happens."

One of the upsides to not having anything else attached to or otherwise accessorizing his suit (aside from the powerful magnets built into the hands, feet and knees) meant that, on his own, Hiro could manage some relatively impressive stealth. He slid past the machines, the noise from title demo screens covering his approach, and leaned his head close to the doorway to Litwak's office. It was open, but it was too dark to immediately see anything. Instead, he opted to listen in. Sure enough, there were a few hushed voices coming from inside.

"-just use the computer?"

"Because the computer isn't hooked up to any of the games, moron. Besides, the computer doesn't have what we're after."

"Right, right..."

"Look, let's just set the thing up and get this over with, alright? The sooner we get those things, the sooner we can move on with the plan."

Hiro peeked around the corner. Sure enough, the two criminals were inside. Both dressed in black, both wearing theater masks. One of them was fiddling with what appeared to be some kind of machine. _This must be what they took from Flynn's,_ Hiro thought. It looked like some kind of weapon, judging from the shape of the barrel, although it was odd that it sat on what appeared to be some kind of tripod. There were several panels coming off the sides ( _Light panels, maybe?_ ) and there were three thick cables coming off the back, two of which were plugged into the nearby power outlets. Still, it was just the right size to sneak in through one of the doors and certainly small enough for two adults to carry in a hurry, although with its awkward bulk he could see the need for the van. But why set up a weapon in an arcade? More importantly, why did _Flynn's_ have such a thing?

"Remind me why we're doing this again?" one of the men asked.

The man near the machine - the one with the cracked mask, Hiro realized - groaned. "Because we can get whatever the heck we want with this. Duh. We just gotta hook it up to the right game."

"What happens after that?"

"Were you even paying _attention_ earlier?! Don't make me go through this again!"

Listening in should have provided him with clues, but instead it made him even more confused. It looked as though the two wouldn't be escaping anytime soon - the only other exit was the window, and it was close enough to the back door that Baymax would notice and alert Gogo if they tried to break the screen and jump out. Hiro slid back around the corner. "I found them!" He whispered frantically. "They're in the office! They've got something with them!"

"What is it?"

"I don't know. It looks like it should be some kind of weapon, but I can't get a good enough look from here."

"Wasabi and I are coming. Tell us what you can see from there!"

Hiro inched towards the door again, leaning around the corner again and hoping to get a decent view of the machine hidden in the room. He had a decent view of it, but there was something missing.

"They're gone!"

"What?!"

"I-I dunno, they juts vanished!" This made no sense. They were right there! The window wasn't even open, they hadn't slipped past him... "Did you guys see anything outside?!"

"Nope."

"Nothing here, buddy."

Hiro ground his teeth anxiously. "Baymax? Can you find them?"

"I am no longer detecting the: two signals from earlier."

His panic turned into outright confusion. That couldn't be right. There was no _way_ that was right. They were right there, in that room! If they left through the window, it would be open, broken, or they would have known. If they'd gone through the door, Hiro would have seen them, and they'd still be in the arcade for Baymax to detect. How was this possible? More importantly, why had they left behind their cargo?

Honey and Wasabi appeared behind him within moments, and when he cast a glance at them, they looked just as stunned as he was. "Hiro," Honey began, "Are you sure they were here...?"

"Positive," Hiro replied, slowly walking into the room, Honey and Wasabi following him. "I heard them talking and everything. They said something about Litwak's computer not having what they were after."

"Did they mention anything else?" Gogo's voice asked over his earpiece.

"Just something about hooking it up to one of the games."

"What?" Came Wasabi's voice. "What do they want with a bunch of video games?"

"Not sure." Hiro scanned the room for anything else that the criminals could have left behind. There was a small toolbox full of various cables and cable adapters, as well as a small pile of lockpicks and a small crowbar. Oddly enough, most of the toolbox appeared to be empty, and judging from the scuff marks on the inside of it, it hadn't been that way recently. As he leaned forward to dig through, he felt his knee bump into something on the floor. Looking down, he realized it was some kind of button. _Huh?_

"Hiro?"

 _Uh-oh._

Hiro turned around to find himself face-to-face with the end of the machine. A bright light was forming at the end of the barrel, and various light panels sticking out from the sides appeared to be flickering to life. A high-pitched whining reached his ears, and his eyes widened in horrified realization: The machine was whirring to life, and he was right in the line of fire.

"HIRO!"

But Hiro found himself inexplicably unable to answer. Not a single limb in his body responded to every desperate urge he sent to run and pull away, and he rapidly felt his skin going painfully numb. Any cry of shock or pain was caught in his throat; his lungs screamed for air but could draw none. His hearing fluctuated, the desperate cries of his friends becoming louder and more blurred until it was an indiscernible mess of deafening sound. The dim lights of the arcade brightened until they threatened to blind him.

There was a loud whirring sound, and then everything went dark.


	2. A Misplaced Hiro

His head was throbbing, but at least the pain was gradually ebbing away. Whatever floor he'd ended up lying on was hard and mostly smooth. Hiro's skin still tingled, and while he wasn't in any pain, he certainly felt a bit sore. His muscles still refused to budge at first; even his eyes refused to open. He felt soft, yet warm air filling his lungs, carrying with it a pleasant-but-indiscernible scent that reminded him of the Lucky Cat Cafe, and he breathed it in slowly. His hearing was returning to him as well, at first just a distorted blur of noise before it solidified into a soft breeze. He pulled his hands beneath him, pushing himself upright. Limbs still working. That was good. He really wish Baymax were nearby to give him a scan and diagnosis so he'd know what was wrong with him. The silence eventually got to him and Hiro realized that, despite whatever just happened, there were no distressed cries from his team asking if he was alright. Either his hearing had gone bad or something was very, very wrong here.

His eyes still refused to open. The lids felt like they were made of lead and then glued shut. It was hard enough just breathing, but it was slowly coming easier to him. At long last, he managed to crack his eyelids open, just a little at first, dragging them open the rest of the way. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the light, but before long he found himself rising up to stand on...toffee?

Hiro did a double take. That was _definitely_ toffee. There were several lollipops nearby, too, tall enough to be sugary stand-ins for small trees. Nearby were several hills made of chocolate, covered with swirls of sprinkles and scattered gumdrops the size of tree stumps. When he looked up, there were clouds made of - he blinked to be sure - cotton candy.

 _Either I'm dreaming or I must have hit my head_ really hard _on something._

He found himself wandering forward, mildly surprised that his sneakers weren't sticking to the sugary ground underfoot - this was _really weird_ \- while scanning the horizon for anything familiar. Instead, there was just candy, candy, and more candy. Candy landscapes, candy forests, candy mountains, candy...streets? Where _was_ he?

"You lost or somethin'?"

The yelp that Hiro let out was a little more high-pitched than he intended. He spun around, but saw no one. "Who's there?!"

"Relaaax, chum, I ain't mad atcha."

Hiro turned around, finally finding the source of the voice he was hearing, and the moment he did he could hardly believe what he was looking at. There, sitting on a gumdrop nearby, was a small child wearing a mint-green hoodie and a skirt that was strikingly similar to the paper he'd seen around peanut butter cups. There were bits and pieces of candy scattered in her hair, along with a vine of licorice holding up her ponytail. It was Vanellope von Schweetz herself, grinning at him like she'd just witnessed some sort of inside joke. Hiro's stare in return was one of disbelief and shock, his jaw hanging wide open to match.

"Whasamatter?" Vanellope asked, quirking an eyebrow but leaving her grin firmly in place. "Is there somethin' on my face?"

"No," Hiro responded, unsure whether or not what he was looking at was real. _This can't be happening. This_ can't _be happening._

"Well, if you wanted to have a a staring contest, you coulda just asked." Vanellope rolled her eyes playfully.

"No, no, it's not that," Hiro replied. "I just that...you're Vanellope."

Vanellope looked fairly proud of herself. "Yup."

"Vanellope von Schweetz."

"The one and only."

"That racer that Honey Lemon always plays as!"

"Is _that_ her name? Huh. I thought it was Aiko."

"No! No, that's not her name!" Hiro replied, waving his hands in denial. "It's just a nickname!"

"Cool." Vanellope pulled up her knee and propped her elbow on it. "She used to fistbump me every time we won a race, yanno."

Hiro groaned, reaching up to run his fingers through his hair only for his hand to land on his helmet instead. He paid it no mind and let it drop back to his side moments later before gesturing at Vanellope again. "Look, can you just tell me what's going on?" He said. "You're...look, you're a _video game character_. How am I even talking to you right now?"

Vanellope shrugged. "I dunno. I just remember seeing some weird light show and then you showed up here in my game."

"That's not hel-" Hiro cut himself off, letting the words sink in. As they did, his eyes widened. "Wait. Your _game_?"

With a quick hop, Vanellope stood on her perch, now eye-level with Hiro, and opened her arms in a wide, welcome gesture. "Welcome to Sugar Rush!"

"Sugar Rush?" Hiro echoed. That was the name of the racing game he played with Honey Lemon just earlier that day. But that would mean... "You've gotta be kidding me."

"Look," Vanellope began, suddenly perched on a nearby lollipop tree and forcing Hiro to crane his neck to look up at her, "We're probably breaking like, fifty different rules just by having you here, okay? You're supposed to be on the _other_ side of the screen."

Hiro blinked. How had she gotten there so fast? "Rules?" he echoed. "What do you mean, rules?"

"Well..." Vanellope recoiled, staring off to the side in thought. "They're not written down anywhere or anything. It's more of a generally-understood sorta thing. People play our games, we do our job, that's it. It's not _supposed_ to go past that. There's a bunch of other stuff, too, but that's the main stuff."

He was in a video game. He was _inside a video game._ After saving Callaghan's daughter from a pocket dimension, Hiro shouldn't have been too surprised that this sort of thing was possible, and yet here he was, gawking. "This is crazy."

"You're tellin' me," Vanellope mumbled, sounding a little bored before piping up curiously again. "Hey, were those other guys with you, by any chance? The two weirdos in the black outfits and the funny masks?"

Any other thought that may have been in his mind crashed out of the way for this new information. "Wait, wait you saw them? They were _here_?"

"Yep! Those guys were _hilarious_ ," she said, beginning a poor imitation of two grown, adult voices. "'You dolt! You plugged us into the wrong game!' 'I'm sorry! I thought we were just doing a test run!'" She laughed, sliding into a sitting position on the sugary branch she was perched on. "Haha! Priceless."

So those two were after something inside one of the video games. As strange as this all was, it made sense; video games tended to be full of things that would be dangerous in the real world. That machine must have been somehow able to transport people into the arcade machine it was hooked up to...but how? More importantly, how was he supposed to get back _out?_

"What're you _talking_ about?"

It took Hiro a moment to realize he'd thought everything out loud. It was an old habit of his that Tadashi had encouraged since he was a kid. Talking problems out could lead to a solution, or at least the path he was looking for. But this time, it only led to more questions. Either way, he couldn't stand around thinking about questions he didn't have an answer to. Whatever those two crooks were up to, they needed to be stopped. As weird as this video game mess was, he could figure it out later. "Do you know where those guys went?"

"Yeah. They headed for Game Central Station."

"Game central what?" Hiro echoed.

Vanellope nodded. "Yup. Road's up that way." She jabbed her thumb behind her. "Just hop on the train once you're in the gate and it'll take you there."

The winding toffee road eventually lead to what appeared to be a long, sparkling strip of rainbow candy (Hiro found himself both calmly assuming it was a strip of bubble gum and confounded that he'd come to that conclusion so readily) leading up to what appeared to be a large doorway. It looked like quite the walk. Baymax could have gotten him up there in five seconds. Hiro was already sorely missing his robotic companion. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it! Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got some _important business_ to attend to."

Hiro was about to ask what Vanellope was referring to when he found that both she and her sing-song voice had vanished without a trace. _How does she_ do _that?_

* * *

"What do you mean, they're _gone?!"_ Gogo demanded from outside the window.

"I'm telling you!" Wasabi wailed, wildly gesturing to the empty office. "One minute he was standing right there, the next he just...well, he _wasn't!"_

Gogo gave Wasabi a doubtful look, but after seeing Honey Lemon's anxious nod, she turned her gaze back to the empty space between the toolbox and the mysterious machine. "Well, he's gotta be _somewhere._ He can't just vanish into thin air."

Honey chewed her lip anxiously. She had no more of an idea of what happened than anyone else did, but she still knew what she saw. She also knew that there were some pieces to the puzzle that they were missing...pieces that Hiro must have been close to uncovering before the machine caught him in that strange ray of light. "Baymax, do you think can you find Hiro?"

There was a moment of silence before Baymax's voice responded over their headsets. "I cannot locate: Hiro. He does not appear to be in or near the arcade."

"But that's not possible," Wasabi argued. "He was _right there!"_

"You sure that scanner isn't broken?" Gogo asked.

"There is: no damage to my enhanced scanner," Baymax intoned. "Would you like me to scan elsewhere?"

"This doesn't make any sense," Honey Lemon replied. "Hiro _was_ here, and now he's just...he vanished. That machine did something to him."

Gogo regarded the machine suspiciously, but made no move to come in the window or otherwise abandon her post. "Like what?"

Wasabi shook his head. "I don't know. Hiro looked like he was onto something before he disappeared."

"Guys! _Guys!_ "

The discussion was cut short as Fred's voice erupted over their headsets. When Honey looked over her shoulder, she could see him pressed against one of the glass windows. Even in the suit, he looked frantic. Gogo couldn't see him from the window, but she didn't need to to look annoyed. " _What_ , Fred?"

"I think I just saw Hiro!" _That_ got everyone's attention. Fred didn't even wait for a response to continue. "I saw him on the demo screen for Sugar Rush just now!"

"This isn't the time for jokes, you idiot!" Gogo snarled.

"I'm serious! He was right there!"

Honey Lemon, meanwhile, had already headed back into the arcade to see if she could find Hiro. At Fred's suggestion, she turned to face Sugar Rush, and would have immediately gone back to join Wasabi in the office had it not been for a very startling oddity.

Normally, the Sugar Rush demo screen would scroll over various tracks where races were taking place (there was an old rumor that if you watched closely, you could predict which racers would be available in the roster the next day), but the tracks were entirely empty. Other times, they'd scroll over the candy-themed scenery often seen in the background. There wasn't a single racer to be seen. "Um, guys?" Honey said, a little hesitantly. She could hardly believe what she was about to say. "I think Fred's onto something."

Wasabi was the first to react. "Baymax, can you try contacting Hiro?"

There was a moment of silence before they received a reply. "I am unable to contact: Hiro. He appears to be: out of range."

"But I saw him!" Fred piped up. "He's gotta be in that arcade!"

No sooner than the kaiju-suited mascot had spoken, the screen panned over what appeared to be a road that wove through icing-covered hills and candy-cane trees. In the distance, Honey could see something moving. It wasn't a kart, and it wasn't any of the racers or candy-themed citizens. It was a boy dressed in purple armor and sneakers, running rapidly and frantically past a sign made out of gingerbread and decorated with icing and off the screen. The character looked starkly out of place in Sugar Rush, which only cemented his identity in Honey Lemon's mind and was the only reason she caught sight of him in the first place. There was no doubt about it, but at the same time she could hardly comprehend who she was seeing:

"Hiro?!"


	3. Pursuit

The walk turned out to be shorter than Hiro anticipated, which was more than a little fortunate. The smell of sugar was starting to make him dizzy; he'd eventually closed his visor to thin it out. It hadn't helped much, but it was better than nothing. By the time he made it to the top, he was tired, though luckily not winded; his exploits and antics with the rest of his superhero team had a hand in boosting his endurance.

At the end of the rainbow road was a small, oddly dark room, in the center of which was a set of gingerbread carts linked together and awaiting a passenger. Hiro glanced around warily; there didn't seem to be anything better to do here, and Vanellope _did_ say that the train would take him there. He shook his head; he was taking directions from a video game character. Something that, by all means, shouldn't actually exist. He shouldn't even be here. Was this some sort of virtual reality thing? Is it just his mind being put in the game or something? But no, that wouldn't explain those other two guys disappearing. Unless they were hiding somewhere...

He shook the thought. Vanellope said she'd seen them running off in this direction, and he needed to catch them. What he was going to do when he caught up, he wasn't sure, but he'd think of something. He always did.

Hiro climbed aboard the carts, plopping down on a marshmallow cushion. No sooner than he'd taken a seat did the car begin moving, sliding swiftly but smoothly into the dark tunnel ahead. Hiro clung cautiously to the sides of the cart, wide eyes taking in his new surroundings. The tunnel was a stark contrast from sugar rush, seemingly composed of enormous, thick cables of metal. Every so often, a spark of electricity would jump from one to another, but it never came close enough to the cart to be a danger. Still, it was an eerie display for Hiro considering what he just went through - what he was _still_ going through.

Before long, the ride ended, and the carts pulled into a similar-looking station, this one appearing to be composed of more recognizable materials instead of candy. It seemed to be concrete or sheetrock, with graffiti scattered here and there (Who was this Leeroy Jenkins guy?) and an opening in front of him, as well as what seemed to be fairly reminiscent of an LED sign he'd seen before in the San Fransyoko airport.

 _"Now arriving at dock Twenty-nine. Welcome to Game Central Station."_

This was it. Hiro hopped deftly out of the cart and gingerly walked towards the archway leading to the rest of the station. The moment he got close, he was met with a stunning sight.

It was _enormous_. Like a giant train station, and he would have mistaken it for one if it weren't for the enormous power outlets that stood in place of each station. Silicon chips made portions of the floor, and scattered throughout were brass benches and advertisement stands, all of which were flashing red. Hiro leaned forward, squinting to get a closer look. Judging from the pattern and symbols that he could make out, there was some sort of warning in effect. As he stepped into the hall, his footsteps echoed on the ground, and he opened his visor to be met with crisp, cool air. It was a welcome change from the constant sweet smell of Sugar Rush, as was the non-sticky floor.

Another thing Hiro noted about this place was that it was also surprisingly empty. In fact, no one was to be seen. How was he supposed to figure out where those masked guys had gone if there weren't any witnesses? There were way too many games plugged in here to check every single one. Yet with no other clues, he didn't have any other option. He'd have to look for anything left behind. _If there_ is _anything._..

The sound of a train returning to its station caught his attention. It wasn't particularly loud; only by virtue of the place being so quiet did he even hear it in the first place. Wasting no time, Hiro made a mad dash towards the station where the noise came from. No one emerged from the station as he went towards it, but a lead was a lead.

The sign above the station flashed with the words "Hero's Duty". Hiro recognized the name; Honey Lemon was telling him just earlier that evening how she managed to get the high score in that game years ago when it first came out, and how she initially thought it was a rip off. Well, at least it was familiar territory. Hiro bounded up the stairs towards the train, swinging inside. The train to Hero's Duty seemed more like a public transit light rail than the trail of carts that was in Sugar Rush, but it would do. He gripped the metal bar in the center of the train, chewing his lip anxiously as the train sped along the track.

* * *

Vanellope stayed just out of view, looking up curiously at the screen to see two of the intruders staring through it.

"See? I told you!" The one in pink said, pointing to the screen. "There's nothing there! The demo screen's all blank!"

The one with her - dressed in green, wearing a headband rather than a helmet, took a step back. "Okay, this arcade is officially creeping me out. Are you _sure_ you saw Hiro in there?"

"Hiro...?" Vanellope echoed, keeping her voice down. That must've been the name of that kid in the weird purple outfit. If he was with them, then he was definitely a good guy...and not a good guy in a sense of jobs within the arcade, but an actual good person.

The girl nodded. "Fred said he saw him, too. I think that machine might have had something to do with it. We should get a closer look."

"Don't look at me!" The young man replied, holding up his hands defensively and backing away. "I'm not going near that thing! You saw what it did to Hiro!"

"Well, we have to figure this out _somehow_!"

The screen faded as the demo screen shifted locations, and Vanellope was left in silence once again. It was enough for her to sort out her thoughts. A strange machine in the arcade? Intruders dressed up like they belonged in one of the games? Something about this was definitely fishy. She'd known from the moment those two masked guys showed up that something was wrong. The arcade hadn't dealt with thieves before, but even then she could tell that these guys were after more than just the change stored in the quarter machine. While all the other games opted to keep their demo screens running, Sugar Rush found itself without its main character while she tried to follow just what was going on...not that it was easy, given the angle her game was stationed at. Before long, suddenly the intruders were within Sugar Rush itself, skulking about and heading for Game Central Station after the one with the cracked mask chastised his partner-in-crime. Although she knew something fishy was going on, nothing else made sense.

But then that other kid arrived, and she had more questions than before. She didn't know much about him, but he was a friend of Aiko's, and something told her he was trustworthy. What he was doing inside the game instead of outside of it was anyone's guess, but by now he wasn't the only one inside.

Hiro and these other people was going after the guys in the black suits, and none of them had any idea how this side of the arcade worked. They were going to need all the help they could get, and Vanellope knew just where to start.

 _"Attention: A security breech is in effect. Please remain in your games and continue to play your demo screens."_

Vanellope rolled her eyes and headed for the rainbow bridge leading to the station. She'd ignored _any_ warnings ever since she caught a glimpse of the two men in black outside the console. She knew nothing about them other than the fact that they were bad news, and she'd already dealt with enough arcade chaos to follow a bunch of guidelines and let that slide.

* * *

Hiro grumbled impatiently. The train to Hero's Duty was noticeably longer than the one to Sugar Rush, for whatever reason. The added radio silence wasn't helping. If there were some way he could fix his helmet to where he could still talk to everyone, he would in a heartbeat, but thus far he had no tools and no ideas. His mind was too muddled with the pursuit of the masked men and how surreal this whole situation was to come up with any concrete plan other than tracking down the men and figuring out what they were after. Once he got there, well, what was he going to do then? Whenever he and his group went out on an excursion, Hiro was almost always jockeying Baymax, directing the team, and coming up with a battle plan. Without the rest of the team or Baymax, he was hardly more than a genius in an electro-mag suit and some rough knowledge of martial arts. He had almost nothing to defend himself with like the others did.

If there was a way into wherever this was, though, there had to be a way out. The others were still in the arcade. If he could chase them back the way they came, the others would be able to catch them, no problem, right? It would be tricky with Hiro being nearly defenseless, but at least it was a start. He could work out the details as he went. It wasn't the first time he'd had to improvise a plan, and at this point he doubted it would be the last.

Before too long, the train came to an abrupt halt, nearly knocking Hiro over. The doors hissed open, revealing an enormous, slick-looking train station, dimly-lit and full of what appeared to be steam. Nearby, a corridor led to what appeared to be some kind of hangar, with metal grate floors and various red lamps lit, the light filtering through more steam that slithered along the walls and ceiling. Up ahead, an enormous steel door lay open, sparks flying off the edges. As Hiro stepped forward, he realized that the door hadn't just been opened normally. Judging from the dents and how misshapen the door was, something had forced it down.

Outside, the air was swimming with steam and ash. The sky was a pale shade of acid-green, thickly coated in clouds that muffled the lightning that strobed rapidly beyond them. Ash fell perpetually from the sky, landing on the metal plate ground for mere seconds before disappearing. In the distance stood an enormous, jagged, metal tower built around what appeared to be a slim, luminous pillar. A bridge made with metal grates led up to it, lined by blue-lit pillars. Subtle, metallic whirrs buzzed in his ears, and the distant sound of thunder echoed around him.

Hiro stepped cautiously outside. The air here was thick, cold, and oddly humid; a stark contrast to Sugar Rush. Even without the swarms of Cy-bugs flying around, something about this place felt tense and nerve-wracking. As he walked forward, he felt his shoe hit uneven ground. At first, Hiro thought it to be one of the metal plates underfoot, but as he glanced down, he saw what appeared to be a kunai, attached to which was a set of cords that seemed to be severed abruptly by way of being viciously ripped. He picked up the knife, examining it curiously. While he hadn't played much of Hero's Duty, Hiro knew that knives in the game didn't look like this at all. Even the knives that did exist didn't have anything tied to them.

 _I bet this belongs to those criminals,_ he thought. _They must've come here after all. They blew the door open, and then they dropped this on their way outside. But what're they using throwing knives for in a shooting game?_

He didn't have much time to mull it over when he heard a massive explosion up ahead. Hiro raced forward towards the source of the noise, finding that it came from the base of the tower nearby. As he ran, he found that the doors at the bottom of the tower had been blown open, sparks now spitting out from the sides where the doors once stood. In front of the doors stood two men clad in black-

His breath nearly caught in his throat. It was the two masked men.

There wasn't even enough time for Hiro to develop a plan when the two masked men saw him and immediately spun back around, racing inside the tower. In their wake, a loud, droning _buzz_ filled the air, and a horde of enormous, metallic insects crawled out of the entrance, their eyes and wings glowing with a bright, acidic green that set Hiro on edge.

The horde quickly grew in size, swarming into the sky and across the bridge, blocking out Hiro's view of the tower entirely. He was already under-prepared to take down two masked criminals; there was no way he'd be able to handle an army of giant, robotic bugs.

"Get _down_ , pipsqueak!"

He didn't need to be told twice, nor did he even take the time to discern where the voice came from. The moment Hiro ducked, a flurry of laser shots flew over his head, accompanied shortly by the bursting and fizzling of the robotic insect swarm. Hiro peered upward, not daring to move, to see several soldiers clad in armor standing nearby, their faces obscured by bright orange visors. Among them was a familiar woman, eyes sternly narrowed in his direction, lips curled into a focused sneer. _No. Way._

"Get back to the entrance," Sergeant Calhoun barked before she shifted her attention back to the soldiers. "Alright, let's get the outer doors closed, _now!_ "

Rising quickly to his feet, Hiro darted back to the entrance of the field while the soldiers ran in the other direction. He didn't make it far before his progress was blocked by a cybug landing directly in front of him, its eyes glittering hungrily. Hiro yelped, making to dash to the side out of the way, only to be blocked as the cybug skittered back into his path. He faked a left before racing to the right, managing to get partway around the cybug before it lashed out with one of its legs and tripped him. Disoriented and panicked, Hiro scrambled to his feet and continued his mad dash to the entrance. He hadn't even made two steps when the cybug rammed into him, throwing him to the ground and pinning him beneath its pointed legs.

With no alternate escape, Hiro brandished the knife in his hand and slammed it into the cybug's eye. While it didn't penetrate far, the covering of the bug's eye shattered and there was a screech of protest as the monstrosity pulled back. Pulling the knife back out, Hiro dove out of the way just as the cybug was about to bite at his head. As he ran, he could hear the doors to the tower slam loudly shut, but the horde still remained. A flurry of rapid-firing lasers flew through the air behind him, the sounds clashing with the droning buzz of the cybugs.

He had to get out of here. At least long enough to find a weapon. That kunai wasn't nearly enough to defend himself with, not against these things. Fortunately, he hadn't been running long before the booming sound of electricity flaring to life caught his attention, and for a brief moment, all noises stopped.

An enormous pillar of light rose from the top of the tower. Cries of "Beacon up!" and "Cease fire!" filled the air as the cybugs eerily stared at the light, flying swiftly towards it, their legs drooping lazily beneath them. As each of them struck the light, they burst into clouds of smoke and steam, quickly dissipating. Seconds after the last cybug vanished into the light, the pillar vanished, leaving only the falling ash and the churning clouds overhead. Hiro let out a breath and slumped against the wall, exhausted. He was safe...for now.

It wasn't long before Hiro found himself approached by the soldiers from before. He was a little surprised at first; perhaps he'd lost track of time while he was catching his breath. When they came close, however, Hiro stood, straightening himself and letting out a nervous laugh. "Thanks, you guys. That was a close-"

Calhoun strode swiftly up to Hiro and grabbed him by the collar of his suit, dragging him to eye level. "Just _what_ do you think you're doing here, pint-size?!"

"Whoa-whoa!" Hiro cried, eyes widening in alarm as he tried to pull away. "Take it easy! I'm not here to-"

"Don't give me that, kid," Calhoun snarled. "Nobody's allowed outside their games during a security breech, and _nobody's_ allowed near that tower unless they're one of _my_ soldiers and there's a quarter alert. You've got ten seconds to explain what you're doing outside your game before I stuff you back on that train myself!"

"Wait!" Hiro cried, struggling against the woman's grip. "Wait, no! I didn't even go near the tower! I swear!"

Calhoun snarled. "Listen, Pee-wee, either you start talking _right now_ -"

" _WAIT!_ "

Every head in the vicinity whipped up to see a tiny figure exiting the nearby station. Hiro barely had time to discern who or what it was when a blur of blue zeros and ones flashed past his vision and reappeared at Calhoun's side in the form of...

"Vanellope?!" Hiro cried, a dumbfounded stare on his face. He was certainly happy to see her, but what was she _doing_ here?

"You shouldn't be here right now," Calhoun said, not even looking away to greet her visitor. "There's a security breech. Get back to your game and keep your demo screen running."

Vanellope's expression twisted into a determined glare. "Not until you put Hiro down!"

Hiro gawked. How had she figured out his name? Calhoun paused as well, regarding Vanellope with a curious, but still stern look. "You know this guy, sweet stuff?"

The candy-haired racer nodded eagerly. "Yeah! Well...sorta. He came in after those creepy guys in the masks!"

" _Those_ goons?" Calhoun said, frowning before turning back to Hiro. "So you're not _with_ them?"

"What?! No!" Hiro stated frantically, still tugging away from Calhoun's grip. "Why would I be with them? I'm the one trying to _stop_ them!"

"Stop them? In _this_ game? You're not even _armed._ "

"Just let him go already!" Vanellope groaned. "I saw him and a bunch of others walking around the arcade trying to find a way to get those masked guys! I dunno what happened, but somehow he ended up in Sugar Rush, and now he's here!"

Calhoun's stern expression faltered, making way for surprise. "You saw _what?_ "

"It's a long story and I don't know how it happened either!" Hiro exclaimed. "Just- Just put me down, okay? I'll explain everything I can. I promise."

At first, Calhoun did nothing except for stare doubtfully at Hiro. Then, her gaze turned to Vanellope, whom was returning the look with a silent plea. Finally, after a few long seconds, Calhoun gave Hiro one last calculating look and set him down, stowing her weapon. "I'm listening."


End file.
